#Weather and #Disaster #Observations Western Cape : 9 March 2015 04h00 SAST - MSBWXB

Image: Angels in action. No words - photographer David Morris captures all that needs 2 be said.

SEVERE WEATHER ALERTS:
 
WARNINGS: Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over the Northern Cape, West Coast District, northern parts of Cape Winelands, Central and Little Karoo.

WATCHES: -----Nil

SPECIAL WEATHER ADVISORIES: 1. Extremely hot conditions are expected in places over the Little Karoo. 2. Hot and dry weather will result in extremely uncomfortable conditions over the interior of the Western and Northern Cape.

MOSSEL BAY REAL TIME WEATHER OBSERVATION:   07h00 -  Currently 8/8  misty cloud. No wind.  22 Deg/C.

WEATHER FORECAST: WESTERN CAPE

Partly cloudy along the south coast in the morning, otherwise fine and warm, but hot to very hot over the interior. It will be extremely hot in places over the eastern interior. The wind along the coast will be moderate to fresh easterly to south - easterly becoming south - westerly in the afternoon. The expected UVB sunburn index: Extreme

DISASTER OBSERVATION: WESTERN CAPE

Two fire fighters were killed over the weekend. A young firefighter from the West Coast District Municipality died on Thursday when the fire truck he was driving left the road and plunged down the side of the Dasklip Pass. Nazeem Davies, 25, from Worcester, was on his way back to the Vredenburg station from the Winterhoek Mountains, near Porterville, where he and his colleagues had helped put out a fire. West Coast District Municipality spokesman Kallie Willemse said Davies and a colleague, Niklaas Nel, were on their way back to Vredenburg when their fire truck left the road and plunged down the side of the pass. - IOL

In light of the devastation of the recent blaze across the Southern Cape Peninsula, and all those who put their lives at risk to contain it, there was an outpouring of grief over the news of the accidental death of helicopter pilot, Willem Hendrik “Bees” Marais on Sunday. Marais was on duty as a freelance pilot for the Working on Fire organisation, to contain a blaze which had flared up in the Cape Point Nature Reserve. He was alone in the helicopter when he was forced to make a hard landing in the reserve. His chopper went down just before midday. Marais was a skilled pilot who also worked at the South African Air Force, South African Police Services and the South African Red Cross Air Mercy Service. Over the past week, Marais had been part of the fire-fighters who'd spent their days battling the Cape fire. A friend and ex-Air Mercy Service work colleague, Adele Walker, remembers him fondly as a "very special gentleman... a humble man, an exceptionally skilled helicopter pilot with years of experience." "He was loved & admired by many," she told eNCA.com. It's not clear yet whether the fire Marais was water-bombing on Sunday caused the crash. The Civil Aviation Authority says it's opening an investigation. - ENCA

MSBWX would like to express its condolences to the family and friends of both these brave men.  They died in the line of duty to save property and lives of others.  They should receive the highest recommendation for their bravery. RIP.

For real live updates on these fires follow @MSBWXB on Twitter. 

- MSBWXB + SAWS

Satellite Images: Elands River (EC) Fire still burning

Here are the latest satellite images of the Eland River Fire that is still burning. It however appears to be smaller in structure and intensity.  This fire has already destroyed more than 50 000 hectares of fynbos and veld.   Motorists in the Elands River and Longmore vicinity, need to be cautious as visibility is poor due to the smoke.  Thankfully so far no lives and property were threatened by this fire.  Let's hope that the firefighters can extinguish this fire before the expected gale force winds arrive. 

Images:  Modis Subsets - NASA (Click on images for larger view.)

Latest Satellite Images of the Elands River fire raging in the Eastern Cape

Images:  Modis Subsets - NASA (Click on images for larger view.)

Knysna News: Not 1 fireman dies on his 26-year watch

 After 26 years in service, Knysna's fire chief Dries Pretorius is retiring.

KNYSNA NEWS - It’s not every day that a Weber braai and a Jacuzzi play a significant role in protecting a timber house from a raging veld fire. But that’s exactly what happened some years ago when Knysna Fire chief, Dries Pretorius found himself on the deck of a home surrounded by fire.

“When securing properties, the fire trucks take some time to roll up equipment, so I usually drive ahead in my bakkie, from house to house, to clear the way and prepare for their arrival. That time, however, the fire was already lapping at the deck of the house and there wasn’t a tap in sight! When I saw the Weber, I grabbed the lid and started scooping water from the Jacuzzi, which managed to keep the fire at bay until the fire engines arrived. At the time it was backbreaking work under hectic circumstances, but it was very funny in retrospect,” he laughs.

After 26 years of service to the Knysna community, Dries is taking early retirement at age 60 to pursue another passion: big game. He and wife Jenny leave for Vredefort in the Free State where he will be co-managing a big game breeding farm with a long-time friend.

The imposing figure of Pretorius has been core to the personality of the Knysna Fire Department, which has through the years consistently earned praise from the public, government and the private sector for excellent service and great attitude. His distinctive moustache and piercing blue eyes have been a reassuring presence in some of the region’s most serious natural disasters including numerous plantation fires, destructive wind storms and floods.

He was the drive behind the establishment of Knysna’s first proper fire station and boasts a perfect record of never losing a staff member to a fire, never having any fireman seriously injured on his beat, and never losing a home to a veldfire.

His team has rescued countless cats, birds and other beloved pets from trees, roofs, gutters and other uncomfortable places. They catch snakes, cut fallen trees, attend to traffic accidents and riots and more.
Oh, and of course, they extinguish fires.

“The best thing about being a fireman is the unpredictability; you just never have two days that are the same. The worst is dealing with dead bodies, generally in circumstances such as house fires and vehicle accidents. The saddest moment in my career was the Rheenendal bus tragedy in which 14 children and the bus driver died in 2011 – the memory will stay with me always.”
Born and raised in Carletonville on the West Rand, Pretorius is a qualified diesel mechanic but has been in emergency services most of his life. After serving as fireman in Roodepoort and as traffic officer in Carletonville, he joined the Knysna Municipality in 1987 as a Protection Services officer.

“At the time the municipality stored its fire engines in two different places, relatively far apart from each other, which could cause much confusion in a time when there were no cellphones and little communication resources. I was the only qualified fireman, the others were traffic officers and school kids whom I had trained to assist in case of fire.”

When the municipality built new storage facilities, Pretorius saw the opportunity to turn the old stores in Waterfront Drive into a dedicated fire station. Through the years he has developed the department to the smooth-running facility it is today. The municipality now has three stations, 29 permanent staff and several standby fire fighters.

“I am very grateful to the town clerks, municipal managers and senior staff who have through the years trusted me and allowed me the freedom to do my job the way I saw fit. This kind of work requires a lot of quick decision-making under pressure and I have been privileged to work with bosses and colleagues who understood that.”

Pretorius has always had a knack to spot talent. Under his leadership, hundreds of emergency personnel have been identified, trained and mentored. “There are certain traits that emergency staff must have and applicants go through strenuous testing to see if they have the physical and mental requirements for the job. The real test remains a real emergency situation, and not everyone makes it. Good firemen have adventurous spirits and guts. Lots of guts.”

He thanks the many people who have worked with him in the department: “You are exceptional people who will continue to protect the lives and property of people in a most excellent way.

“I also thank the public of the greater Knysna for their ongoing support throughout my career. I truly believe that people in Knysna want things to work for the better of all, and they have certainly made it a joy to live and work here.”

Knysna municipal manager Lauren Waring said Pretorius played a significant role in the development of the municipality’s emergency services and thanked him for his committed service to the town and its people. “Few people had contributed so extensively to our community. The 26 years he has invested in our town are recognised and appreciated.

“On a more personal level, Dries has worked with me for several years and I will dearly miss his strong presence and leadership, as well as his extraordinary cool and savvy under pressure. The municipality is losing a true gem. I wish him well in his new endeavour and know he will be of great value to his new colleagues.”


- Knysna/Plett Herald

Firefighting season given a bombing boost

Western Cape emergency services are hoping for a more successful firefighting season this year.
They'll be relying heavily on new equipment that has just arrived from Spain.

The Air Tractor 802 water bombers are set to drastically reduce the time it takes to get raging veld fires under control.

Runaway vegetation fires have become an all-too-familiar occurrence across the greater Western Cape during fire season.

Last year, a raging veld fire burned out of control for 12 days, while firefighters worked around the clock to contain the blaze.

Disaster management officials are now fine-tuning their preparedness plan in anticipation of wildfires this holiday season.

"What we then try to do is respond in the first hour to a fire with four aircraft so that we can try and contain the fire and hopefully put it out in the first hour," said Colin Deiner of Western Cape Disaster Management.
"We work together with the district disaster management centres and fire services. They basically have the ground forces, the firefighters on the ground. It's an integrated approach. You've got to have the air component and you've got to have the ground component."

Disaster management workers are more confident of a successful firefighting season this year thanks to two new Air Tractor 802 water bombers.

They form part of national government's Working on Fire fleet - at a cost of around R13 million each.
The aircraft will be added to a fleet of 26 being deployed to the Western Cape from elsewhere around the country.

"These aircraft are obviously very fast but they're also recognised all over the world as one of the most dynamic instruments you can use in combating fires all over Australia, the US, in Europe. In fact we've purchased these aircraft from Spain," said Trevor Abrahams of Working on Fire.

"As you've seen, one is already here. The other one is down next week, flying in on Wednesday from Spain and these aircraft are the leading aircraft in fighting fires all over the world."

Fire officials say they are hoping these planes will go a long way in improving on the 2011/2012 wildfire season success rate of about 90%.

See video:  HERE

-eNCA